Remembering Robert ‘Bob’ Luhring of Pullman
Aug 8, 2020 Moscow Pullman Daily News, Lewiston Tribune
Robert “Bob” Luhring, 77, of Pullman, passed away Thursday, July 30, 2020, at the Robville Adult Family Home, in Pullman.
Bob was born Nov. 24, 1942, in Van Nuys, Calif., to Burdette and Dorothy (Alger) Luhring. Following his early education and graduation from Monroe High School in the San Fernando Valley, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in education from Concordia College in Seward, Neb.
During his sophomore year in college, Bob met Lucille “Lu” Jessen, and they later married July 11, 1965, in Wheatland, Wyo. Bob and Lu made their first home in Stevens Point, Wis., where they both taught at the elementary level at St. Paul Lutheran School. They also started their family while in Stevens Point, welcoming their son, Tim, in 1969 and their daughter, Sherree, in 1970.
The family moved to Idaho Falls in 1973, where Bob and Lu both worked at Hope Lutheran School. Two years later, the family moved again when Bob accepted a position in campus ministry in Pullman. They have made their home in Pullman ever since.
Bob was a lifelong learner and enjoyed taking classes whenever he could in a wide range of subjects. He eventually earned his Master of Arts in counseling psychology from Washington State University, and then spent several years as a school and career counselor at small schools in Washington and Idaho.
Bob was passionate about baseball and softball, both as a player and a coach. He spent many seasons coaching youth baseball with the Pullman Youth Baseball Association and girls’ softball at Pullman High School. He was also active with American Legion baseball. Bob also managed and played on several adult men’s and co-ed league softball teams through Pullman Parks and Recreation.
Bob was a diehard Coug. He enjoyed and supported Cougar athletics and had a special fondness for the baseball program. Bob’s interests go beyond sports. He enjoyed science, especially learning about geology and sharing that knowledge on every family road trip. Bob enjoyed his time outdoors. He liked rafting, camping, golfing and boating. Bob also enjoyed any activity that involved his children or grandchildren. He was a devoted family man and was always putting his family first.
Bob is survived by Lu, his loving wife of 55 years, at the family home in Pullman; his son, Tim (Stacey) Luhring, of Tacoma; his daughter, Sherree (Todd) Komp, of Pullman; five grandchildren, Rylie and Hayden Luhring; Paige, Dylan and Brenna Komp; his siblings, Rich (Elizabeth) Luhring, of Concord, Calif., and Marjorie Habiby, of Canby, Ore.; and his many nieces, nephews and cousins. Bob was preceded in death by his parents.
Special thanks to:
- our family and friends who supported us on our journey over the past several years.
- Nancy Gregory for her medical care and the staff at Robville Adult Family Home for their care and compassion during these past 11 months. We are especially grateful to Elizabeth, who provided extra support and comfort when COVID-19 restricted our family from close contact with Bob.
The family will greet friends at a visitation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at Kimball Funeral Home in Pullman. Social distancing and safe practices will be observed. A celebration of life will be planned at a later time when it is safe to gather. Bob will be laid to rest at the columbarium wall at Trinity Lutheran Church in a private family ceremony. Kimball Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
Memorial donations are suggested to Pullman Parks and Recreation, 190 SE Crestview, Building B, Pullman, WA 99163, either online or by check; Trinity Lutheran Church, 1300 NE Lybecker, Pullman, WA 99163; or to the Alzheimer’s Association, Inland NW Chapter, 1403 S. Grand Blvd., Spokane, WA 99203. Online condolences may be sent to www.kimballfh.com.
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Pullman grandpa knows that family matters
Story and photo by David Johnson, Lewiston Tribune, Nov 8, 2013. With minor News for CougGroup edit in 2024.
People featured in this column have been selected randomly from the telephone book and cellphone numbers contributed by readers.
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PULLMAN - With nearly 72 years of life and a career of counseling as part of his resume, Bob Luhring offered some sage advice for young people - especially those searching for direction in a world rife with so many good and bad avenues.
"Follow your heart. Follow the direction that you feel good about and you want to go after," he said. "Don't rely on expectations from someone else."
And what about dark alleys or dead ends?
"When you struggle," said Bob, a husband, father of two and grandfather of five, "going back to family is the route to go."
This at a time when the word "family," as Bob knew it growing up, continues to be redefined, diminished or in some circles rendered unnecessary.
"My whole life I worked with young people," he said, explaining that those with deep family roots seemed to prevail. And the concept of family, Bob suggested, is best nurtured from within a spiritual perspective.
"We moved here in 1975. And I had a position as a campus minister, at Concordia Lutheran Church. I do not have a ministerial degree. I have a teaching degree from a Lutheran Missouri synod school."
Bob remembered when he and his wife, Lucille arrived on the Palouse.
"She commented when we drove in with a U-Haul, 'Two years and we're out of here. It's way too small.' And we've been here ever since."
Both Bob and Lucille (who goes by Lu) are retired now. She worked for decades as a teacher in Pullman and Bob credits her for providing their family's financial foundation while he moved among counseling and part-time teacher aide jobs throughout the region.
"My wife's salary as a teacher, that's what enabled us to make it all the way through," Bob said. "There are struggles no matter what you do from time to time. My wife was there when I didn't have a job for several years. She's the one that had the income."
During some of his time off, Bob returned to school, then re-entered the work place. "The last job I had was at the junior high here, working as a teacher's aide to junior high kids." He holds a master's degree in counseling from Washington State University and declared both he and his wife avid Cougar fans.
"We have season tickets for football, basketball and baseball." Bob himself coached sports at the junior high level, where he said teaching athletic skills and teamwork took precedence over winning. He's also a diehard Los Angeles Dodgers baseball fan, having grown up in California and at one time during his youth worked as an usher at Dodger home games in LA.
"I really enjoyed that."
But not as much, Bob said, as counseling young people, whether it be at church, in the schools, or perhaps just as a friend. Relationship problems, he said, remain the most universal concerns of young people, stemming the decades he's worked as a counselor.
"A lot of it is where relationships have broken up," he said. "Breaking up with a person they thought really cared for them. And then they come to you."
Of course, counseling and working with youth involved a lot of positive interaction, Bob said, and sometimes a reversal of despair that paved the way for bright futures. He remembered, for example, a WSU veterinary student who attended the same church.
"He was so frustrated, he was ready to leave school." But Bob said he and his wife brought the young man into their family fold, talked with him and helped him turn the corner.
"He stuck it out and is a veterinarian now on the west side."
Bob will turn 72 on the day before Thanksgiving. The holidays, he said, have always been an important time for his family. His son, Tim Luhring, is married, has two children and lives in the Tacoma area. His daughter, Sherree Komp, has three youngsters and lives with her husband in Pullman.
The future, Bob said, will always revolve around the family, to the point where he and his wife hope to take everyone on an adventure. "We want to go on a cruise and take the whole family. And we'd pay for it all."
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With exception of photo by David Johnson of the Tribune, all photos by News for CougGroup. All show Bob. One shows Bob and Lu, his wife.
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